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ICE and Girlguiding partnership expands to three new regions

Date
24 January 2025

The successful civil engineering badge is coming to Scotland, and the north-east and north-west of England.

ICE and Girlguiding partnership expands to three new regions
The ICE and Girlguiding partnership started in Northern Ireland, Wales Cymru, and London and the South East of England

The ICE and Girlguiding are joining forces again to bring their civil engineering badge to three new UK regions.

Girlguiding units in Scotland, north-east England (including Yorkshire and Humber) and north-west England can now access the badge, activity pack and ICE STEM ambassadors to help lead sessions.

The expansion follows the success of the initial partnership back in 2023, which has been running in Northern Ireland, Wales Cymru and London and the south-east of England.

“By connecting with the ICE, we’re ensuring that our members have access to invaluable experiences that can shape their future and ignite their interest in fields like STEM,” said Rona Rommel, region chief commissioner for Girlguiding North West England.

The badge was designed to encourage guides and rangers to consider a career in civil engineering.

Hands-on activities, like bridge-building and problem-solving challenges, provide practical insights into what it’s like to work in the industry.

The pilot has awarded over 6,000 civil engineering badges, with the activities ranked 4.6 out of 5 stars.

Addressing gender inequality in STEM

By extending the partnership, the ICE and Girlguiding seek to address the gender disparity in STEM fields across the UK.

The activities provide opportunities for young women to engage with engineering concepts and meet female role models in the industry.

Eleni Pappa, associate Chartered Engineer at Croft Structural + Civil, supported one of the Girlguiding units in south-east England.

She found that opportunities like the badge are crucial to show young people, especially girls, that engineering is accessible and exciting.

“The hands-on activities not only introduced them to the fundamentals of civil engineering, but also demonstrated how this field shapes the world around us,” Pappa said.

Girl-led spaces

Elaine Rough, chief commissioner for Girlguiding Scotland, said it’s about showing their young members that they can “do anything, think big and be bold”.

“We hope that our girls and young women will relish the opportunity to learn new skills and develop their confidence to know that they can have a positive future in STEM,” she said.

Girlguiding is a “unique girl-led space”, explained Wendy Howard, chief commissioner for Girlguiding North East England.

“We provide access to opportunities that are often limited for them,” she said.

Reaching out to young minds early

Commenting on the partnership, Séan Harris, ICE deputy director general and director of membership, said the expansion is “an important milestone”.

“Women bring diverse perspectives, creativity, and fresh approaches to civil engineering—qualities that are essential to solving the complex challenges of our modern world.

“By reaching out to these young minds early, we’re not only shaping the future of engineering but also ensuring it becomes a more inclusive, innovative, and dynamic profession.”

Girlguides can now try a new activity

The activity pack has been updated to include a new activity called Railway Route, which encourages participants to step into the shoes of transport engineers.

They must balance cost, environmental impact, and passenger satisfaction to create innovative railway solutions.

Ada Nwadigo, 2024’s ICE STEM Ambassador of the Year, introduces the activity in the pack, citing that “transport is the lifeline of our society”.

“It connects people, places, and communities, making our lives easier and more enjoyable,” she said.

Get involved

To get involved in this new partnership, ICE STEM ambassadors based in one of the three new regions should contact their local ICE team.

The regions from the original launch will still need ambassadors. Get in touch with your nearest ICE team to get involved.

Become an ICE STEM Ambassador

Those who want to get involved but aren’t an ICE STEM ambassador yet can register via STEM Learning.

  • Fatima Uddin, membership marketing executive at Institution of Civil Engineers